Courts of Justice Act

ONTARIOREGULATION 114/99

Amended to O. Reg. 89/04

FAMILY LAW RULES

RULE 10:  ANSWERING A CASE

SERVING AND FILING ANSWER

10.  (1)  A person against whom an application is made shall serve an answer (Form 10, 33B or 33B.1) on every other party and file it within 30 days after being served with the application.  O. Reg. 114/99, r. 10 (1); O. Reg. 91/03, s. 2.

TIME FOR ANSWER — APPLICATION SERVED OUTSIDE CANADA OR U.S.A.

(2)  If an application is served outside Canada or the United States of America, the time for serving and filing an answer is 60 days.  O. Reg. 114/99, r. 10 (2).

EXCEPTION — PLACEMENT FOR ADOPTION

(2.1)  In an application to dispense with a parent’s consent before adoption placement, (Form 8D.1), the time for serving the answer is,

(a)   20 days, if the application is served in Canada or the United States of America;

(b)   40 days, if the application is served outside Canada or the United States of America.  O. Reg. 337/02, s. 2.

ANSWER MAY INCLUDE CLAIM

(3)  A respondent may include in the answer,

(a)   a claim against the applicant;

(b)   a claim against any other person, who then also becomes a respondent in the case.  O. Reg. 114/99, r. 10 (3).

ANSWER BY ADDED RESPONDENT

(4)  Subrules (1) to (3) apply to a respondent added under subrule (3), except that the time for serving and filing an answer is 14 days after service on the added respondent, or 30 days if the added respondent is served outside Canada or the United States of America.  O. Reg. 114/99, r. 10 (4).

NO ANSWER OR ANSWER STRUCK OUT

(5)  If a respondent does not serve and file an answer as this rule requires, or if the answer is struck out by an order,

(a)   the respondent is not entitled to any further notice of steps in the case (except as subrule 25 (13) (service of order) provides);

(b)   the respondent is not entitled to participate in the case in any way;

(c)   the court may deal with the case in the respondent’s absence; and

(d)   the clerk may set a date for an uncontested trial.  O. Reg. 114/99, r. 10 (5).

REPLY

(6)  A party may, within 10 days after being served with an answer, serve and file a reply (Form 10A) in response to a claim made in the answer.  O. Reg. 114/99, r. 10 (6).